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| - WOW! This place was REALLY GOOD!!!
I've passed by this spot a million times going in/out/through Koreatown and while it's been many things over the years, I believe Banjara has been in this spot for some time now and is probably there to stay.
I was in the mood for some good Indian and my only experience with the place was at some send-off party for a colleague a while back where some of the food was catered by Banjara, though I could not say what was and what wasn't. We were trying to figure out where to take our mama to eat when my brother suggested we try Banjara as he'd heard that their butter chicken was good. I had to Yelp it to see what others were saying and it seemed to be a go, so off we went (the time of day was also a factor since it was rush-hour).
The first good sign was that the parking lot was full (not a problem at all, just park on Crawford, its cross-street). There is a lot of seating on their patio, though I did not care to sit outside in the humidity. I was actually expecting a dumpy place with good food, but when you step into the patio area to enter the restaurant, the setup/condition isn't bad at all. I was pleasantly surprised; it wasn't dingy and the staff were all really nice and friendly--which, those factors + good food are really what matter more than fancy decor and a pretentious crowd anyway. The crowd was a mixed bag and the place started to fill up pretty quickly once 6pm rolled around. There was also constant foot traffic of those doing take-out and I can totally see why. The smells emanating from the kitchen were quite noticeable but in a good way. I was ready to eat after a few sniffs of what promised to be nothing but goodness.
As our mom is still new to Indian food, we ordered the safe items while munching on the papadums they lay on our table. The dishes we ordered are ones that can more or less be found among the many possibilities at the standard Indian buffet:
- butter chicken: very tasty, just the right balance of spice and creaminess; contained juicy pieces of tandoori chicken
- paneer: the soft chunks of cheese were dee-lish and the sauce dense with spinach
- chicken biryani: wonderfully spiced with chunks of dark meat
- beef vindaloo: my bro commented that it would probably be better with lamb or goat (neither of which am I a fan) which is probably quite true. We opted for the third degree of their four-pepper scale and it was actually extremely mild. We like our spice but weren't sure what the others could handle though we thought 3 / 4 would still be living on the edge. It wasn't, and it was just 'alright': soft pieces of stewed brisket meat was plentiful though...
- (plain) naan: REALLY GOOD, fluffy and full of flavour, though the very bottom piece was a little oilier than I like as it seemed to be soaking up the grease from the top layers but hey, a little grease is forgiveable! I liked that it didn't turn into floorboard once it cooled, the way it does at some places--maybe the stiffness-when-cooled trait comes from sloppily overcrisping (ie, burning) it?
- mango lassi: I've never had such a thick mango lassi and it was more mango than anything else which is NOT a complaint. It was the perfect accompaniment to a hot day and full of mango flavour. I liked that it was more mango than yoghurt!!
* my mom had also ordered a soup to start which she enjoyed. It appeared to be a scalding hot bowl with a tomato-y base with some mild curry and some chunks of veggies--I could make out tomato, sugar snap peas, and carrots. I should have tried some but it was too hot of a day for soup.
Of all the dishes, I'd say the vindaloo was our least fave although it was still decent. Were it not for the coriander, I doubt the mild-ness would have carried this dish on its own but I guess that's what we get for ordering 3 chili-level heat. Lesson learned.
The only real drawback was the washroom, which was pretty gross. Someone had left a mass of something or other in the women's toilet so that it could not be used or flushed, let alone stepping foot in there. If the washrooms were decent, I think that 5th star would have been earned but anyhow if you can hold it in 'til you get home, this place is definitely worth a visit if you've got a hankering for some good Indian food!!
I can't say anything about the prices of individual dishes since I never looked at the menu but it was mentioned that the prices are typical for Indian food. I think our total was something like $70 (no alcohol; pre-tax and tip) and we all left pretty full. We tried to walk some of it off in the park but settled on some benches instead. For whatever reason, I thought Banjara might be a tad cheaper than other Indian restos but anyway, it's totally worth it. If you know you're getting decent food, you should expect to cough up at least what the others are charging.
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